This is a travel plan for a 14 day vacation to ‘the Capitol States’ in the US. With the help of my local travel agent this is what we came up with. A car will be hired to drive between each location. We will be travelling with someone studying American History, hence the educational theme for this vacation.

Day 1-3

Arrive in the historic City of Washington D.C. You will need at least 3 days to take in as much as possible, places to visit include The Lincoln Memorial, The White House, The Washington Monument, not to mention all the free museums. Evenings will hopefully be spent in trendy Georgetown – enjoying the many bars and restaurants.

Day 4-5

Drive to Baltimore in nearby Maryland. Again there is plenty to see and do in the City, Places of interest include Fells Point, which is like a ‘mini England’, Federal Hill for great views of the city and Mount Vernon, the cultural centre of the City. There is also a thriving nightlife in the Canton Area.

Day 6-7

A drive through the beautiful Virginian Country side to Charlottesville in the foothills of the awesome Blue Ridge Mountains. There are many vineyards that surround the city so there is much wine to be sampled!

Day 8-10

Explore the stunning Virginian countryside and the beautiful Shenandoah National Park and Blue Ridge Mountains that surround Roanoke. Walk along woodland trails up to the summit of some of Virginia’s most picturesque mountains. There are lots of activities to do if you’re feeling sporty: biking, boating, fishing and horse riding for starters! In the evening, enjoy the bars and restaurants of Roanoke’s Farmers Market.

Day 11-12

Head off to Richmond. The Richmond Riverfront area has been regenerated which will provide you with much to explore, there are plenty of restaurants and shops, and a canal boat cruise looks tempting. There are more than 600 historic structures to look out for as well as the Black History Museum and Cultural Centre.

Day 13-14

The final destination is the colonial town of Williamsburg along the wonderfully scenic James River route. While here you can visit the famous theme park, Busch Gardens!

This article was written by Mark Hart. He’ll be writing a few more articles fo us, so please check back often.

There’s a lot more to MD than just Baltimore, even for young whippersnappers. Working your way back down to VA, plan to stop in our own capitol of Annapolis, maybe catch a Navy lacrosse game and some jazz. Then back thru DC (another night of Georgetown?) and into Southern Maryland rather than Northern Va. At St. Mary’s City (our first state capitol)you can see a replica of the ship that brought the original colonists to Maryland. Then drive across and down the tip of Southern MD into Virginia. You’re on your way to Richmond….and hopefully having a lot of fun.